January 16, 2017 AT 2:15 pm

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day 2017 @MLKDay #MLKDay #GoVolunteer

Today Adafruit honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King Jr: I Have A Dream (video).

A few logistics for customers to get out the way, on our blog and across the site you’ll see Adafruit not shipping orders January 16th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, any orders placed after 11am EST Friday January 13 will go out Tuesday January 17.

“The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.”

For Adafruit team members today is a paid day off, it’s a recognized and observed paid day off, service and volunteering is encouraged. Additionally, Adafruit gives 3 paid days off for charity for Adafruit team members.

Looking at some stats only about 37% of US companies recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day and less than 10% of manufacturing companies. We have been told that “paid days off” decrease productivity, we’ve seen the opposite, people care about the company they work for, the values it has and the things & people celebrated.

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?”

Martin Luther King, Jr. day is uniquely American. Many countries have Independence days, labor days and religious holidays, this holiday is ours and only ours that recognizes devotion to human rights.

“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.”

We’ll be back tomorrow.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”.